Best of 2009: Top 5 Wii Games

Last year, we said this about the Wii’s software lineup: “Nintendo’s loyal fans, the ones who stuck with the company through the lean years, are feeling a bit like when you go to high school and your former best geeky friend is suddenly all hot and popular and doesn’t talk to you anymore.”

To continue the metaphor into 2009, geek-turned-popular kid (Wii) is starting to realize that their new friends (casual gamers) are fickle and mercurial, and that maybe they shouldn’t have abandoned their true friends (hard-core gamers).

Here are the five best games that kept us turning on the Wii in 2009.

5. Bit.Trip Beat

Melding a 1970’s retro aesthetic with the tap-to-the-beat gameplay of contemporary music games, this downloadable game was one of the biggest surprises of the year. It wasn’t just the bleep-bloop chiptunes and giant Atari 2600 pixels that made Bit.Trip Beat old-school, however. It was the fact that it’s hard as hell. — Gus Mastrapa

4. MadWorld

Sega probably predicted this game’s low sales. Not only was it a violent, profane M-rated game on a console largely played by moms and kids, the black-and-white graphics weren’t going to play in Peoria. But we love how MadWorld pushed up against the edges of what’s considered “acceptable” in a videogame, not only for making a joke out of gratuitous torture but for the singular art style. — Chris Kohler

3. Muramasa: The Demon Blade

This sword-and-yokai hack-and-slash role-playing game shredded to ribbons the notion that Wii can’t deliver a visually dazzling game experience. But Muramasa wasn’t just eye candy. An ornate skill tree full of new sword techniques proved just as detailed as the lovingly painted Japanese forests, temples and restaurants that gamers slashed their way through. — Gus Mastrapa

2. Punch-Out!!

It sure took Nintendo a while to resurrect this 25-year-old arcade game, but the results were spectacular. Pummeling massive boxers with exaggerated punches feels just as rewarding as ever, now with gorgeous cartoon graphics and remixed music. And bucking the trend of most Wii-makes, Punch-Out!! is the hardest title in the series. — Chris Kohler

1. New Super Mario Bros. Wii

As a solo experience, it’s not as good as Mario on the DS. But this four-player twist on the classic formula makes for some raucous couch parties. Even if you and your friends are trying your best to cooperate as you run and jump through the game’s levels, you’ll probably still end up screaming at each other. Penny Arcade got it right when it called multiplayer Mario “Divorce Mode.” It’s exhilarating fun regardless. — Chris Kohler

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